In this video essay, we explore the complex and controversial topic of S.A. in video games, examining how this sensitive issue is depicted across various titles and how it impacts storytelling, character development, and player experience.
Thanks to spazbo4 for some of the heavy rain gameplay and thanks to boneofhead for the last of us gameplay
Timestamps:
00:00 - Spoiler and Content warning
00:44 - Intro
01:41 - What is S.A. and the social sensitivity to it
04:11 - Tomb Raider S.A controversy and can games handle sensitive subject matter
07:15 - Heavy and Handling S.A. poorly
14:16 - The last of Us and handling S.A. well
18:08 - Gameplay Implementations of S.A. (Custer's)
25:34 - Closing